I need to preface all of what you’re about to read by saying that I’m a big fan of women’s basketball. I get into the Final Four when it comes to the Women’s College game and having grown up in the shadow of Uconn, I’ve watched a number of women that are near or at the top of the women’s game. With that being said, it’s time to face a harsh reality… The WNBA is failing. It’s a league that’s barely registering a blip on anyone’s radar and it’s time to make dramatic changes, or put this league out of its misery altogether. Oh yeah, by the way, the season just concluded with the Seattle Storm capturing the league crown by beating the Connecticut Sun two games to one.
Too Much, Too Soon
As far as I’m concerned, the league was about 5 years too early. Women’s College Basketball saw a surge in the mid-to-late 90’s and the NBA thought it could capitalize on that by putting together a women’s league. Stars such as Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper headlined the league lineup when it took to the court in 1997. 8 teams all with NBA ties at the time, took to the court. At the time this league was founded, the NBA was seeing a drop off in attendance and television viewership. What made the geniuses at the NBA think that women were going to bolster the numbers? Women’s College Basketball has become even bigger since 1997, while the WNBA is seeing a steady decline. If the league had taken it’s time in developing the a better marketing strategy for the professional game, things might have come together faster. What was the rush? 1 + 1 doesn’t always-equal 2 when it comes to women’s professional sports.
Women’s Professional Soccer
You can’t find a bigger star in women’s sports than Mia Hamm. The star of various women’s world cup teams was everywhere in the early part of this decade. From commercials with Michael Jordan to her relationship with Cubs star Nomar Garciaparra, Hamm was everywhere. The 1999 Women’s World Cup saw record crowds and when Brandi Chastain ripped off her jersey to expose her Nike Sports bra following the United States Championship win, the business world saw an opening. But what it had really seen, was aberration. The big crowds that united behind the U.S. were confused with those that a professional league could actually be marketed to. The two are not one in the same. It’s akin to going to an Olympic curling match and seeing packed houses at small venues to watch a couple of guys with a broom pushing what looks like a loaf of bread. Just because people are there and watching, doesn’t mean we ought to run out and market a curling league to mainstream America. In the end, low attendance, a lack of a solid TV deal and the inability to compete with mainstream sports world sank the WUSA. So long WUSA, you’re gone, and surely forgotten by most.
Too Many Teams, Too Few Games
The WNBA turned its 8-team league into a 10-team league in 1998, 12 teams in ’99 and 16 teams from 2000-2002. The expansion continued despite the fact that some teams were failing miserably on the attendance front. Some teams did experience some average degree of some success. New York, Houston, Indiana, Washington and Phoenix all saw solid attendance figures while the rest of the league was starved for fans. The league finally realized that some it’s teams weren’t going to be along for the ride in 2003. It shut down and moved around some franchises. In 2003 the league eliminated 2 teams and started its first franchise without a NBA backing it up in Connecticut with the Sun. Then the league nixed the Cleveland Franchise in 2004 to get to its current number of 13 teams. Despite the shuffling of franchises, the leagues average attendance continues to slowly decline, even as the Women’s College game sees growth. 10 out of the leagues 13 franchises played to less than half of capacity this season. The league Champion Storm averaged just 7,899 fans during the regular season. The team they beat, the Sun, played in front of an average of 6,707 fans. Pretty sad for a team that boasts the Women’s and Men’s National Champions.
A 34-game schedule isn’t doing much to help the cause of the WNBA. No matter what sport it is, and no matter how much preseason you have, it takes time for teams to gel and for players to find their groove. The league is doing a disservice to its players, it’s fans and ultimately it’s product by playing such a short schedule. As it is, field goal percentages are respectable at best. Not allowing players the proper amount of games to get into their rhythm is preventing the league from better play. Now I know that some will simply say that a stronger schedule isn’t possible because of things like the baseball post-season, NFL regular season and the NBA regular season all trouncing on the WNBA’s parade. But if you don’t give the league a chance to compete with boys, you’re essentially admitting that it never will. ESPN2 aired the WNBA finals. Apparently, Bass fishing and a new reality failure from the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” was a better ratings grabber than Women’s Hoops. If that doesn’t show the rapid rate of decent that this league is experiencing, then I’m not quite sure what does.
Time to say goodbye
With the backing of the NBA on a myriad of levels, you would have thought this league would be able to get on better footing and give us the model for which other women’s professional leagues would follow. Instead, there are more questions than answers. With teams and the league seemingly losing money every season, it’s hard to imagine the league lasting much longer. How long will the NBA and David Stern continue to subsidize a losing proposition? Is it time for league commissioner Val Ackerman to step aside and make way for someone with better creative senses? Only time will tell. It’s often been said that when a tree falls in the forest, nobody hears it. Unfortunately, the same may be said for the WNBA, if and when it closes its doors.
